Easy Composter & Propagator Top

This easy composter & propagator top makes your compost work for you by creating a glasshouse effect to grow seeds in the lid covered with the Top
You fill the Compot with your waste, reverse the lid, fill it with potting mix, water it and plant your seeds.
Place the lid back on top of your Compot and cover with the Compot Top. Be sure not to lock your lid so the Compot top will lock into place.

Composting occurs below and propagating occurs on top. Holes in the top allow gases to escape. Water your plants through these holes as well.
Heat generated below from your waste decomposing warms the soil above and creates a humid environment inside the Top for the seeds to sprout.
It is virtually a mini hot house or terrarium.

Where is the best place to put it?

The best position to plant your easy composter & propagator top will depend on your specific climate and environment.
If your climate is too hot you might find propagating in the shade works better. Or in the sun might work better in winter.
Like all gardening, propagating can be a trial and error thing. Just have fun with it and keep trying till you find what works in your garden.

A single easy composter & propagator top are suitable for anyone who wants a small composting solution.
Or you want to grow a few veggies and herbs on the side as a bit of a hobby.
Owning a Compot and Top means you don’t need warming trays, greenhouses, and other paraphernalia to grow your seeds.
It’s a fun way to grow plants from seed and fun for the kids to play with and learn.

Link – Using the easy composter & propagator top in a chicken pen.

Can I put it in a Chicken pen?

The easy composter & propagator top often suits people with chickens.
That is because they usually give much of their waste to their chickens and have very little waste left over to compost.

But chickens don’t always eat everything so what do you do with the rest of your waste?
Put it in a Compot. When the Soldier Flies come the chickens can feast on the larvae which are roughly 45% protein for them.
Chickens love Soldier Fly Larvae and maggots also. You are not likely to get maggots in the Compot but don’t panic if you do.
If they happen to get inside the Compot they usually can’t get out.

If house flies are hovering around your pots in your garden then add a little extra cover.
Usually, this is enough to filter any odours they might be smelling. You, of course, should not smell anything.

How do I harvest the larvae for the chickens?

In your chicken pen, they will help themselves to the larvae
When composting in your garden, simply put on a glove, scoop out some Larvae and toss it into your chicken pen.
Your chickens will sort out what to eat while the rest will improve the soil in their coop.
Or give them a little hose with water through a strainer to remove all the composting material.

There will be other bugs in there that your chickens will like also. So hose gently to save as many bugs as you can.
There might be little cockroaches, slaters, millipedes and other composting critters.
All good for your chickens and your garden though some might disagree about Millipedes.

When the larvae grow big enough and are ready to pupate they bury out through the soil and hatch into Soldier Flies.
Then they find a partner, mate, lay their larvae and die. Not much of a life for a fly.
Very rarely will you see them in your garden. They are very elusive and completely harmless.
They don’t have a mouth as they don’t eat so they cannot harm you.
Get excited if you see one in your garden because you know you have the best composter around that is free – next to the worms of course.

Link- Growing greens in your chicken pen on top of the Compot

Growing greens in your chicken pen

Many of you with chickens know you can’t grow anything is a chicken pen because chickens will scratch everything to pieces.
Having a Compot and Compot Top allows you to grow greens in their coops without them destroying the seeds before they have sprouted.

When you are growing greens in the lid, remove the top after the greens have sprouted and let the chickens at it.
Another tip is to uncover the seeds when they have just sprouted. The seeds are really high in protein at this stage.
Let your wheat or barley etc grow long and green to improve your egg quality.

Hyperlink – “details on how to grow wheatgrass, barley, oats etc”

Using the propagator top directly in the garden

You can use the Propagator Top directly in the garden to cover small seedlings. This is really handy for plants that don’t like to be transplanted.
You can plant them once straight into a garden and protect them with the Compot Top. Water them through the holes in the top and uncover when ready.
This stops the Top from being knocked over by garden animals protecting your plant till it’s time to uncover it.

Find out what works best for you. Don’t make it a chore. It is meant to be fun and easy. The choice is yours.

The green Compots are made from virgin plastic material that should last you roughly 10 years plus in the garden. There are no harmful chemicals in this material and it should not break if you stand on the lid. The lid will usually push into the pot rather than break. If you hit it with a rotary hoe (as one customer did) it will no doubt get chopped up. The lid is designed to take the weight of a 50 Kg child who might run across it. I personally have jumped on them and the lid usually just pushes inside the Compot Base. The product is guaranteed for 2 years under normal circumstances, but it should last much longer than 2 years so you get many valuable years of use out of your Compots.

The Compot Top is made of clear plastic with a small amount of UV stabilizer added. This means it will last for several years in your garden before it deteriorates. I have had one in the garden in the same spot every day for 5 years now and it is still going strong. There is no reason why you won’t get 10 years of use out of it as you will most likely not have it in the sun every single day like I have done to test its endurance.

POSTAGE COSTS:To post one Compot cost the same as three Compots (unless you live in Brisbane where the rates are generally less than most other areas) so consider the postage costs when you order to get the best value out of your post.

After 3 Compots it costs roughly the same to post up to 14 Compots depending on where you live. You can test different bundles for postage costs by entering your suburb details and requesting a quote. Just don’t follow through with the order. Try another bundle to compare postage costs, and then make your choice on the bundle you want. Or call us if you can’t work this out.

Please be aware of excessive postage as the program will charge you for every bundle you purchase if ordering two different bundles. This is easily resolved with a custom quote or by calling us. If you make a mistake with the postage we refund you the difference or you can top up your order with some garden supplements if it is a small amount.

If for any reason you feel the postage to your area is excessive (and sometimes it is too remote areas) please email usor go to this link at Australia postand check if the postage is better using the box dimensions and weight listed above, plus your area code and suburb, and our area code and suburb (4005 New Farm).

Click herefor instructions on how to calculate postage with Australia post.

If you get no satisfaction with the post then please call us or email us and see if we can’t help you get a better deal.

Product Information :

Click here for Technical specifications of the product. About 10 pages

All care is taken to produce a quality product that will work for you all day every day giving you many years of satisfaction, as well as naturally fertilizing your garden, reduced council waste and therefore reduce greenhouse methane gas emissions.

Please see our returns and refunds policy if you are not satisfied with your purchase but please call us first. It is very rare for the Compot not to work and you might just need a little extra information.

General Info:

The Compot and Propagator Top is a versatile system used for direct composting as well as propagating seeds on top of the pot without the need of greenhouses and warming trays to grow your seeds. The Top acts like a mini greenhouse or terrarium maintaining a stable warm moist environment under the top while the compost below creates just enough heat as it decomposes to keep your little seeds warm enough to germinate. You can use this in a veggie garden or inside a chicken coop. So not only are you disposing of all your waste you are using the energy from the composting material to create warmth and moisture for growing new plants.

Depending on where you live, what your climate is like, and your garden environment will depend on whether you should propagate in the shade or directly in the sun. If your climate is too hot then generally speaking you will find propagating in a shady area or partly shaded area might work better for some seeds. In winter you might find direct sun works best. But like all gardening, it can be a bit of trial and error in your specific conditions.

It is great for growing wheatgrass to juice, put in a salad or feed to your chickens. In winter wheat will sprout readily for cutting in less than ten days. In summer it can take longer because wheat is a winter crop.

You can also use the Propagator Top over any small plant or seed directly in the garden to keep slugs and bugs off your new little seedlings. Hold it in place with the four stakes-placed through the holes in the tabs on the side of the Propagator Top.

Related Articles:
Using the Compot Top directly in the garden (coming soon)
Attracting the Soldier Fly (coming soon)
Growing seeds in the lid of the Compot (coming soon)8 Methods of Composting